For sons, daughters and grandkids

Fewer tech support calls. More confident parents.

SafePhone is a pretend phone that runs in the web browser. Your mom or dad can try every button, follow short step-by-step lessons and make mistakes safely, because nothing in it is real: no real calls, texts or payments.

Not together right now? Email me the link to try it with them later.

  • First 5 lessons free
  • No card needed
  • Nothing to install
SafePhone during a Beginner lesson: a card at the top says Open Settings, and a red ring circles the Settings icon on the home screen.
A real lesson in SafePhone: the red ring shows where to tap.
Why it works

They learn by doing it themselves

Watching you tap quickly on their phone doesn't stick. Doing it themselves, at their own pace, does.

Nothing can go wrong

No real calls, texts, purchases or settings. They can press anything, and their real phone is never touched.

A red ring shows where to tap

On the Beginner level, each step is circled and written in plain English. When they're ready, the Intermediate and Advanced levels give fewer hints.

Short lessons, real skills

144 lessons of a few minutes each, from unlocking the phone to sending a photo to the grandkids.

Set it up in about 2 minutes

Do it together, on their phone or computer

  1. Go to trytechsafe.com and tap "Start free"It works on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
  2. Create their free accountTheir first name, their email and a password they'll remember.
  3. On their dashboard, tap "Open SafePhone"Tip: add it to their home screen so it opens like an app.
  4. Sign in with the same email and passwordTheir progress is saved in their account.
  5. Open the orange "Lessons" app and start with "Unlock the phone"Choose the Beginner level, and let them take it from there.
What they'll practice

The things they call you about

  • Unlock the phone, open an app and go back
  • Answer a call, and decline an unknown number
  • Send a text message and reply
  • Make the text bigger
  • Connect to Wi-Fi
  • Take a photo and send it to someone
  • Get back a photo they deleted by mistake
  • Set an alarm and add an appointment
  • Spot a scam text or a fake website
  • Protect the phone with a PIN

Teaching them yourself? Read our guide: How to teach an older parent to use a smartphone, with a plan for the first week.

Price

Free to start, simple after

Free

The first 5 lessons, with a free account. No card needed.

SafePhone Pro

Every phone lesson: $9.99 a month, or $81.99 a year. Cancel anytime.

Phone and computer

SafePhone and SafePC, the practice computer: $12.99 a month, or $105.99 a year.

Does your parent have an iPhone? SafePhone has an iPhone style too. Try a lesson in the iPhone style, no account needed.

Questions

What families ask us

Does my parent need a smartphone?

No. SafePhone opens in any web browser: on a phone, a tablet or a computer. Many people start on a computer with a big screen, then try the same thing on their real phone.

Will it change anything on their real phone?

No. It's a practice phone inside the browser. Nothing they do in it reaches their real phone, their contacts or their money.

Their phone isn't exactly like SafePhone. Does it still help?

Yes. SafePhone works like a typical modern smartphone. The ideas (where Settings are, how to go back, what a scam text looks like) carry over to most phones.

Can I pay for them?

Yes. Sign in to their account on your own device, choose a plan in "My account" and pay with your card. They keep their own account and progress.

Can they use it on more than one device?

An account is used on one device at a time. If they sign in somewhere else, the first device is signed out, and their progress is saved either way.

Give them a safe place to practice

Set it up together in 2 minutes. The first 5 lessons are free.

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